Spielberg on The Force Awakens: 'There's a lot of pressure on J.J.'

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As the director of more than a few monumental blockbusters, Steven Spielberg knows a thing or two about the inherent pressure involved with mega-franchises. According to him, J.J. Abrams is definitely feeling the heat.

Spielberg, who was a guest on a recent episode of 60 Minutes (which is apparently still a thing that exists?), opened up about the expectations surrounding the new Star Wars movie and the toll it's taking on his pal Abrams. According to Spielberg, Abrams is understandably terrified about the opening of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in less than a week. Which, sure, haters gonna hate — but we're still waiting to see if Abrams actually made a good movie.

Here’s what Spielberg had to say about it all:

“Oh J.J. is terrified. There’s a lot of pressure on J.J. to start paying Disney back for, you know, the franchise they bought from from George Lucas. You just know that there will be people, no matter what you do, that will have issues with some aspect. You just know there is some number that is being thrown out there that will not be hit. You just know.”

Though Abrams has obviously jumped into the pressure cooker a time or two himself (see: Star Trek), the revival of Star Wars is a different animal altogether. It’s a cultural touchstone, being reborn with all the might and money of Disney behind it. Here’s hoping Abrams didn’t blink in the face of all that terror.